The Experiment is Complete – Jenny Craig Week 4

It is finished. I completed my four week Jenny Craig free trial thanks to that blog competition. I will be honest and say I have definitely not been a model dieter. I’ve had days off, eaten starchy vegetables, had the odd slice of cake. But I have still found it very interesting and have learnt a lot about me and food and being healthy.

In the spirit of a proper experiment, this one being in willpower, there has to be results, conclusions, and a long list of things I’d do better if I did this again sometime. So here are some of the things I’ve found over the last 28 days.

• I love potato. It’s one of the things I really craved this month. Weird?! I know. Baked, mashed, chipped – I missed it. There was potato in some of the meals but it just wasn’t the same. I have learnt I don’t need as much though, I should choose smaller potatoes for me.
• I was right – my portion sizes are way too big. I probably eat twice as much at some meal times than I should, and that’s midweek. My appetite is massive because I’m used to eating so much; most of the time I’ve not been hungry doing this diet plan so I obviously don’t need the amount I’ve been consuming.
• I am most hungry when I am cold, low, tired or bored. If one of those things is obvious to me, I eat. Normally I reach for sweets, chocolate, cake, chips or similarly high in fat and sugar foods. I will try to reach for fruit but I can’t see that happening all the time. These are times when I am most vulnerable to overeating.
• I do enjoy my daily yoghurt. I always used to have them and forgot how much I enjoyed them. I have discovered Muller Greek Style Yogurt in coconut and lemon, very very nice and fat free too.
• I’ve also rediscovered fruit flavoured chewing gum. It’s perfect for a sweet fix with barely any calories (about 5 I think, so practically nothing).
• I need breakfast. On days where I’ve not bothered for one reason or another I have missed it. It doesn’t necessarily help me get through to lunch without snacking (that slogan “keeps hunger locked up til lunch” is rubbish!), but it does help with energy levels and helps suppress cravings for sugary foods in the mornings.
• I really enjoyed talking to a stranger about my eating habits. Rebecca, my Jenny Craig consultant, was fabulous. I was very dubious about having someone tell me over the phone what I should and shouldn’t be doing (and telling me off if I didn’t lose any weight), but it wasn’t at all like that. The consultancy part of the Jenny Craig plan is a really helpful element of it, Becca was motivating and knowledgable.

Ultimately, I wanted two things from this trial. One was to learn about portion control, which I have done. I still love my food and enjoy eating, but I will continue to try and keep my portions smaller. I will give the healthy plate idea a go – each meal should consist of half vegetables or salad, I love veg, that should be ok.  The other thing I wanted was to lose a bit of weight to give me a bit of a kick start. And I did. Just shy of half a stone in four weeks will do me. And that’s even with all those days off.

It turns out that I do have will power. It’s just that most of the time I tend not to exercise it.

My Splodz Blogz review of the Jenny Craig diet plan? I’ve mentioned in previous posts that it has a lot going for it – the structure, the set menu, nutritious meals ready prepared, the consultancy calls that check up on your progress. But it is very expensive and makes life difficult if you still have to feed other members of your family. It is good as it works, but it is not for everyone. If you’re thinking of starting this programme then you have to really go for it – block out your diary, follow it properly, learn how to prepare loads of amazing vegetables, and make the most of every day (and every pound you are spending). You will absolutely get results, it works as a kick start, but your heart has to be in it.

An interesting experiment. One I don’t really want to repeat. But one that has done me some good.